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Labyrinth
One, two, three, four, The labyrinth is taking more ~ Five, six, seven, eight, Don't be caught in its wake LABYRINTH a one-shot by stormver ~ One, two, three, four ~ "Skyross. Skyross." The tom's blue eyes didn't tear away from the maze in front of him. "Skyross!" He could only stare. "Skyross!" Eventually he was yanked away. His sister. Reroff. "Skyross, c'mon! We can't go in, it's too dangerous!" The tom pulled himself away. "Reroff, what would Brother Darmin have done?" "Brother...Darmin.." The gray tabby she-cat shrugged. "Uh, Darmin would've gone up to it and gone in.." "He's our role model, Ref!" The tom's dark gray fur and blue eyes glared at his sister. "Brother Darmin is all that we have left until Father Leeroy returns." Father Leeroy was the leader of his group. Father was the model for them. Except for that he had gone into the maze. Skyross knew that cats never returned after they entered. It was a maze, a giant maze. Nobody had ever returned. But he wanted to go in and get out. Reroff wouldn't let him. He followed her back to the camp as he kept quiet about this. Reroff had thought she had won after he kept quiet after she had screamed at him. She thought she'd won. But he knew she hadn't. He waited that evening. He knew that he'd be killed if he went out, if he wasn't dead anyway. Father Leeroy spoke of the labyrinth daily. He always said that it was a death trap. But Skyross didn't believe that. He knew that the old orange tabby tom had never been inside. So he was going to be the first one to do it. ~ The labyrinth is taking more ~ He stood at its foot later that night. This is it. He flicked his tail, his eyes staring at the walls. He dug his claws into the ground. I could die. I really could. No. He stared at the entrance. His blue eyes blinked. Remember her. His best friend. Kerz. Her fur. Her brown tabby fur and amber eyes made her look evil. He never thought of her like that. She, an outlaw that had done no crime. He, someone who was too scared to take action. She told him that she was going. She told him that she would be back. She said that she'd be back for him. She said that she'd miss him. That was when she had gone in. It was time to find her again. Kerz. Skyross closed his eyes, his claws burrowing into the earth. I'm coming, Kerz. You don't have to come back, because I'm coming for you, my friends, my family. But mostly because I miss you. He opened his eyes again. He glanced at his paws. The gray mixed with the dark grass made him look invisible. The sky was littered with stars, but there was no moon. He took a breath and stepped in. ~ Five, six, seven, eight, ~ She waited for him. Her name was Hrydx. She'd never seen the outside world. She only knew because of how Kerz talked. Kerz was her best friend. She wondered about who she mentioned often - Skyross. She wondered who he was. She wondered if the outside world was as Kerz described. Violent, mean, savage. Were there really cats who fought each other? She'd never believe it, not while she was within the group. The group was called Quantum Harmony, but she just called it Quantum. She thought the group name was too long. She flicked her gray tabby tail as she sat near Kerz. The brown tabby she-cat was telling a story, but she hardly listened - she was too busy thinking. She could sense change. It was all based upon the stars and how the sky looked. A night of no moon and abnormal clouds really only meant change was coming. The sky changed. She could change. Cats changed. The group changed. Everything was changing right before her eyes. She excused herself from Kerz to sit outside. Despite the walls around her, she knew there was an exit - there always was. The vegetation licked the walls. She lifted a paw and licked it. The world is changing all around me. She tried not to think about the shifting within the group. She knew something was wrong with the world around her. Her father was a leader. Tharo was his name. He looked like her, his gray tabby fur and blue-gray gaze. Blue-gray. She didn't know how he got that cover. Who cares. She tried to ignore it. I wonder if Kerz is right. A memory flashed in her mind. Norma. Norma, Norma, where did you go..? She had been best friends with the reed-brown cat known as Norma. She knew that Norma was never normal, but she knew that Norma was gone...or she thought so, anyway. Norma had left the maze. Hrydx had never seen her since. She glanced over at Kerz, her ears twitching. "Kerz." The tabby looked up. "Yeah, 'ry?" She scowled; she hated that nickname. "Did you ever know someone named Norma?" "Who?" Kerz cocked her head to one side. "Never heard of her." "Them." Hrydx hated when everyone assumed that Norma was female. Norma was just...Norma, and that was all they wanted to be. She remembered the day when Norma decided to be neutral. They never liked the gender stereotyping..so that was the day Hrydx stopped call her by her female pronouns to one that was more neutral. Norma never liked gender rules. Hrydx winced; there were many in her community, despite its name. Breaking one of the rules could mean anything - sometimes so serious that the violater could be thrown out. That had happened to Norma. Identifying as a neutral gender was out of the question. Norma had been sent out. She hadn't been seen since. Hrydx missed Norma greatly. Their age gap was somewhat long, but they were still great friends.